Rainbow Road Runner
by Neko-chan316
Summary: Running, running to the finish. The path there is a multitude of colors; while some are bright, others are dark, frightening, and melancholic. But even the darkest, deepest of colors won't last. Once the end is near, don't be afraid look back at the rainbow left behind. Len x Miku
1. Chapter 0 - Base Coat

_An explosion of colors..._

* * *

"Tell us, Miku-chan!" A peppy, green-haired girl with red spectacles on her head leaned closer to Hatsune Miku, who had long, teal-colored twintails, even though they sat so their desks touched each others', "Why did you break up with the school prince?"

"I already told you so many times, GUMI-chan," Miku leaned back in her seat when GUMI came inches from her face, "I acted like that with KAITO-nii because he asked me to help him make MEIKO-nee jealous! It worked surprisingly well, so we stopped!" When Miku saw KAITO in the morning, he still had the bump from MEIKO's red hammer of death after she heard about the two dating. _At least it worked_, Miku thought with a slight, wary grin.

"But you two get along very well," Another girl, this time peach-colored hair and a cat-shaped hat, chimed in,"and aren't you two part of the same VOCALOID program?"

"So is MEIKO-nee," Miku responded, "Besides, KAITO-nii thinks of me as a little sister. It would be kinda hard for him to look at me any other way since I'm a lot younger than him and stuff." She paused to take a bite of the lunch bento she had ignored since the conversation started, "Anyway, the point of this is that KAITO-nii likes MEIKO-nee. So stop thinking we'll go out. And, moreover, I kinda wanted a more interesting love life," Miku blushed slightly, embarrassed of her recent fantasies that made going out seem too good to be true, "I-I don't think KAITO-nii would be able to give me that."

GUMI smirked. She had seen the little doodles in Miku's notebooks of various romance scenes that seemed to be directly from rom-com manga, but replaced the female character with long-haired, twintailed girls. The male was "Negi-senpai", a fictional character Miku made up after her favourite food. It seemed childish, but GUMI knew Miku didn't have an interest in anyone, so this was her way of showing she was accepting of any appearance her "prince-sama" may take.

_I know you're making fun of Negi-senpai, GUMI-chan,_ Miku shot the message to GUMI with a glare, _But I think Negi-senpai is perfect in every way!_ She was only half-joking.

"So," GUMI stiffled a small giggle, understanding Miku's message very clearly, "Iroha-chan, how is your group doing? AH-Software, was it?" She turned from Miku, who was to her left, to the peach-haired girl with a long ponytail sitting directly across from her, desks also touching.

"The group is great! I love everyone in it," Nekomura Iroha smiled, "I heard we're getting a new member! Her name is," She raised her index finger to her forehead and closed her eyes in thought, trying to remember, "Tohoku… Zunko, was it?" She paused, double-checking, "Yeah, a VOICEROID and VOCALOID, just like Yukari-chan!" Getting the new purple-haired member to open up was rather difficult since she was shy, but Iroha and the rest of the group made her feel welcome to the family. Now, Iroha and Yukari are as close as sisters. "How about yours, GUMI-chan?"

"Awesome!" GUMI responded, "Internet Co. is definitely the best VOCALOID group out there!"

"I'd have to disagree," Miku said, "Crypton is awesomer!"

"No," Iroha held out the word, "AH-Soft beats both of yours!"

The three friends laughed. In the last ten minutes of lunchtime, they all quickly gulped down their meals.

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At this school, there are about 5,000 students. The "regular" students are those who haven't signed up for a major and take all classes with equal importance. It is not required to take a major in order to graduate, but since students are able to major in anything they wish, most choose to do so. Out of all the majors, VOCALOID is the only one supported by the directors of the school, thus it is the most well-known. However, those who take VOCALOID are hand-picked by the directors, each with their own group. Some groups mentioned are Crypton Future Media, Internet Co., and AH-Software. Those who take majors are called by their respective majors. VOCALOIDs, Animators, Musicians, etc. Students can register into the school after juniour high. They graduate depending on their major. VOCALOID, however, can accept students of any age, as long as the directors choose them. School duration is also dependent on the directors.

The physical school is basically a generic high school. It has a girls' dorm, boys' dorm, fields, swimming pool, clinic, cafeteria, etc.

* * *

_Waah~ My account's been dead for about a year! ;w; I'm finally adding something to it!  
__Although the title is of a Len and Miku duet song by tys-P, this fanfic will not be based off of it!  
__Don't expect to suddenly jump into Len x Miku, I'm going to take things nice and slow.  
__So... thanks for reading! Not much right now, but it's not even Chapter 1 yet! XD_

_If you spot any mistakes, feel free to tell me in any way, shape, or form. One eye isn't enough to catch them all!  
__[I would run Grammar Check but who knows how much I'll have to hit "Ignore" for all the names. OTL]_

* * *

_Glossary_

_-chan: honorific often used between friends, usually girls  
__-nee: honorific meaning "Older Sister", not always blood-related  
__-nii: honorific meaning "Older Brother", not always blood-related  
__-sama: honorific more respectful than "-san", often used for those higher in rank  
-senpai: honorific used for upperclassmen  
__bento: Japanese box lunch  
__negi: welsh onion/leek, Miku's character item  
__red hammer of death: giant red, rubber hammers often seen in anime  
__rom-com: "Romantic Comedy"  
__school prince: the extremely popular, good-looking guy of the school, often is good at academics and athletics  
__twintail: two ponytails on either side of the head  
__VOICEROID: program similar to VOCALOID, except for talking rather than singing_


	2. Chapter 1 - Neoteric Aureolin

"New… members?" Miku tilted her head in curiosity.

"Well, no, not exactly," A tall, blue-haired man said, "They're returning members you haven't met yet."

"VOCALOID is an international program," This time a woman in red attire spoke, "In order to graduate, it is required to study abroad in the main VOCALOID wing for at least a month with VOCALOIDs from various countries around the world. KAITO and I went with the bare minimum since we missed being back home, but it seemed those two wanted to stay a full year."

"Luka-nee also went for a full year, right?" Miku directed her question to the pink-haired lady next to her.

Megurine Luka nodded, "I plan to go another year, it was very enjoyable."

"You already met Luka before she went abroad," KAITO reminded, "But these two immediately went on the trip, saying they wanted the experience before going to the school."

MEIKO added, "We were informed of them by the director and met with them, but you and Luka still haven't."

"Excited?" KAITO grinned.

_Two members of Crypton I haven't met yet_, Miku thought to herself, _Two more in the family. I wonder what kind of people they are like._

"So, what are they like?" Luka started to speak, as if reading Miku's thoughts, "Male or female? Young or old? And when are they coming?" Miku nodded her head, agreeing with Luka that those questions should be addressed.

"Well," MEIKO responded, taking a small pause before answering, "there is a male and a female. They look similar, so you'd say they're twins, but the director never confirmed it. As for age, by the looks of it, they seem close to Miku's. I'm not sure what they're like, since I only met with them briefly, but I'm sure they're great people." The two were quite hyper when she met them, but that may be because of the trip they were going to take. "They should be introduced to you two in a couple days. Just got back from the trip, you see."

Miku perked up at the mention of them being her age. MEIKO, KAITO, and Luka were all much older than she was, so often she felt her ideas were a bit childish for them. However, if the returning members really were her age, then she won't have to feel like the little sister of the group anymore! _I must make quick friends with them!_ Miku decided, clenching her fists in determination.

"Alright, alright, that's enough chatting," KAITO clapped his hands to get their attention, "We should get back to what we were doing. Director-san will be disappointed if we spent all day doing nothing! We'll meet the two soon, so for now, let's just do what we always do!" He gave a little push on the back to Miku and Luka towards the recording stations.

Miku headed towards her station and entered the sound-proof room with a microphone stand. Before she could connect her headphones to record, however, there was a loud commotion even the walls could not muffle. She quickly took off her headphones, set them aside on a small, wooden table, and went back to the main room to see what was going on. _I hope it isn't KAITO-nii and MEIKO-nee arguing again_, Miku thought to herself, _I thought we already settled the going out thing!_

"KAITO-nii, MEIKO-nee, what's going on?" Miku turned around a corner, expecting to see blue versus red. Instead, she was met with a wash of yellow. _Who…?_

MEIKO, behind a gold-haired girl with a fluffy, white bow, spotted Miku, "Oh, now here comes Miku!"

The girl whipped around excitedly, "Miku-nee!" Miku now saw that she had bright, ocean-blue eyes.

Miku flushed pink out of shyness that a stranger had called out to her in such a friendly way, "Uhm, h-hello?" She hesitated, unsure whether she should introduce herself or not. MEIKO, as if sensing her uncertainty, does it instead.

"Miku, meet Kagamine Rin," MEIKO smiled, waving a hand to the eccentric stranger, who did a little bow, "She's one of the returning members we were just talking about." She switched hands and waved it at Miku, "Rin-chan, this is Hatsune Miku," Miku bowed slightly at the mention of her name, "As you could probably guess, she's another member of Crypton Future Media." MEIKO, feeling the introductions were done, changed gears, "Now then, Rin-chan, tell us, why are you two here earlier than expected?"

"Two?" Miku asked. _Oh right, there were two of them…_

"Yep!" Rin answered with a grin, "Len! Get over here!"

Miku directed her attention to where Rin was looking. Conversing with KAITO and Luka was the same golden yellow Rin had. When he turned around, Miku saw he also had the same ocean-blue eyes. Miku averted her eyes, somehow, his gaze made her feel self-concious and nervous. _Even though Rin-chan's eyes look the same_, Miku stared at a blank space behind Luka, eventually catching her eye, _Even Luka-nee's eyes are a similar color…_ She then realized she had just called Rin "Rin-chan" and wondered if it would be ok. _I have to make quick friends with her, remember?_

Out of the corner of her eye, Kagamine Len's mouth opened, "Nice timing, we were just finished with the introductions and stuff." He headed over towards their direction along with KAITO and Luka.

Miku wasn't going to let MEIKO do the introductions again, "N-nice to meet you! I'm Hatsune Miku. Please take care of me." She bowed slightly, her twintails coming forward and brushing her shoes.

Before she came up, Len spoke, "I'm Kagamine Len. Uh, nice to meet you, too." _I'm glad I'm not the only one awkward with introductions_, Miku silently thought.

Then, Miku had a weird idea. Once again, the teenage girl inside her got the better of her. _A new male member. Maybe it was fate. Maybe he would be my prince-sama. Maybe…_ Miku shook her head out of these silly thoughts, _I don't even know what he's like. I don't want to force Len-kun into my weird fantasies. No, no, that's not good._ She saw Rin looking at her and turned slightly pink, getting out of her daydream state and realizing what she had thought. _I should probably just keep my ideas to Negi-senpai._

"So, we're completely done with introductions!" Rin flashed her bright smile, "Now onto what MEIKO-nee asked! Surprise, surprise, we're here early, aren't we?" She chuckled softly, "Well, that's because I wanted to meet Luka-nee and Miku-nee right away! I didn't want to have to see Director-san before them!" Rin rushed over to hug both Miku and Luka. Yellow, teal, pink, it was a very colorful trio.

"And I was dragged along," Len answered monotonely, "Like always."

KAITO said, "How old are you two? Shouldn't you be calling Miku 'Miku-chan'?"

"Miku-nee is Miku-nee!" Rin firmly decided, "Bakaito."

"Hey, hey, wait," KAITO responded, "Not only is that not a good reason, but did you just call me 'Bakaito'?"

"That's a good name for you," Luka uttered, "Bakaito." And so it was decided KAITO's nickname was "Bakaito".

As KAITO sulked about his newly given name, Len said, "We're fourteen. How old are you, Hatsune-san?"

_Fourteen_, Miku thought, _That's two years younger than me._ "Sixteen," Miku replied, "I guess it would be 'Miku-nee'. But you can call me anything you like!" She added a friendly smile.

"Miku-nee it is, then!" Rin announced, "Right, Len?"

"Yeah, sure," Len shrugged.

"I'll call you Rin-chan and Len-kun, ok?" Miku didn't forget about making friends quickly with them. Both of them. _Len's a bit cold, but he's probably just a bit tsundere_, Miku thought with a small giggle.

A ringing bell sounded, catching everyone off guard.

"Well, looks like we didn't do anything again today," KAITO said with a chuckle.

"The excitement of Rin and Len coming really makes time flow, doesn't it?" MEIKO headed over to her station to clean up what she left behind. Miku and Luka followed suit. Almost immediately, MEIKO turned a semi-circle around, "Oh, I almost forgot!" She dropped her headphones onto the table and directed the two golden-haired members to empty recording rooms that were recently cleaned, "These are yours! Choose one!"

"I'm Rin, so I get right! And Len for left!" In no time, Rin had already decided for the both of them, but Len was used to it, "After you guys are done, let's head back to the dorms together! I want to show you my room!" Rin glanced over to KAITO and Len, "_Girls only_."

"We know that!" Len exclaimed, "Actually, I'm quite surprised you were able to do something in your room. I had to quickly toss my stuff in there since you texted me, a _second_ after entering my room, that you wanted to meet up with Crypton."

"It's messy, but I did unpack everything!" Rin put one hand on her hip and the other on her chest, "I guess I'm just more amazing than you are!"

"Yeah, yeah," Len dismissed her.

_It seems everyone has made friends with them_, Miku smiled, her VOCALOID group will be livelier than ever with two young VOCALOIDs. It was sudden, but they joined the family. When her eyes fell on Rin and Len, she thought of something else. She glanced over to the lonely microphone stand in the middle of her station.

_I want to sing a song with them._

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Students take their majors after lunch, while the core subjects are taught in the morning. Because of the scheduling, lunchtime is the same for everyone. This caused crowding problems in the cafeteria at first, but after expanding and additional cafeterias were installed, the lunch schedule was easier to manage. Some students prefer to eat in their classroom, hallway, outside, or anywhere with space to sit. Others wait until the afternoon to eat with the members of their major.

* * *

_WHERE'S MY LEN X MIKU?  
__Calm down, I know this chapter seems very anti-Len x Miku, but I'm taking things nice and slow.  
__There are always uncertainty when falling in love, it's not just a sudden "electrical spark".  
__In fact, Miku doesn't really understand love. She assumes it's like a rom-com, but the ideas she gets in her mind doesn't mean she's in love.  
__Not yet, at least._

_If you spot any mistakes, feel free to tell me in any way, shape, or form. One eye isn't enough to catch them all!  
__[I would run Grammar Check but who knows how much I'll have to hit "Ignore" for all the names. OTL]_

* * *

_Glossary  
__-chan: honorific often used between friends, usually girls  
__-kun: honorific often used between friends, usually boys  
__-nee: honorific meaning "Older Sister", not always blood-related  
__-nii: honorific meaning "Older Brother", not always blood-related  
__-sama: honorific more respectful than "-san", often used for those higher in rank  
__-san: honorific used to give respect to the addressed person  
__-senpai: honorific used for upperclassmen  
__aureolin: a shade of yellow; "cobalt yellow"  
__Bakaito: "baka" (idiot) and "KAITO"  
__negi: welsh onion/leek, Miku's character item  
__neoteric: new, modern, recent  
__tsundere: cold and distant on the outside, warm and fluffy on the inside personality  
__twintail: two ponytails on either side of the head_


	3. Chapter 2 - Zestful Tangerine

When the Crypton girls left the school building, the sky glowed soft orange and gold. A crisp breeze passed through, foreshadowing the bitter cold that would arrive in the coming months. The sidewalks were abuzz with students returning to their dorms. Some wore light sweaters and fashionable scarves, a smart choice in the new chill. The four girls haven't switched to their winter uniforms yet, so they shivered slightly as the sky sighed softly.

"Not to break anyone's bubble, but I'm a bit busy today. There's an upcoming test I have to study for," MEIKO patted Rin on the head, "Welcome to the family, Rin-chan." She waved goodbye to the other three and headed left, towards the library.

Luka gave an apologetic look, "I have to go, too. My roommate wanted me to help her study English, so I cannot come over today, Rin-chan. I'm really sorry." She smiled warily, bowed, then rushed ahead of the other two into the girls' dorm.

All of the sudden, Miku and Rin were alone, left behind by the other two.

"Are you going to leave to?" Rin did her best puppy eye imitation to Miku. Her fake tears glistened unnaturally and her eyes sparkled. She sniffled and raised her brows high. _She's being so obvious_, Miku giggled.

"No, of course not!" Miku smiled, "I'm not busy, so I'll come over. I want to see your room, Rin-chan."

In an instant, Rin regained her bright aura and jumped up. "Hooray!" She yelled, as she grabbed Miku's right hand and skipped towards the dorm.

Miku tried to keep up with her, "W-wait, Rin-chan! You're too fast!" _Guess this is what Len means by being "dragged along" by Rin_, Miku thought, then she quickly stopped herself, _I-I mean Len-kun and Rin-chan! _She shook her head, almost tripping from the force.

"Whoa, Miku-nee! Careful!" Rin looked behind her and grinned, tilting her head and causing her white bow to wobble.

They walked up stairs, Rin still holding firmly to Miku's hand. Two flights later, Rin searched for her room number, constantly referring to the simple maps located on the floor. She finally saw a small, familiar-looking sticker of an orange with a smiley face and bow stuck on the middle of a door.

"Found it! Room 375!" Rin directed Miku to her room, "Glad that sticker helped." She let go of Miku's hand, fumbling around the keys chained to her skirt. After a few seconds, she unlocked the keys and inserted them into the keyhole one after another. "I know one of these has to work," Rin said as another failed to open the door, "I just forgot what it looked like. Should've labeled it, too, huh." The metallic sounds of the keys echoed through the empty dorm hallways. Most people didn't return to the dorms this early.

"What do you need all those keys for?" Miku asked curiously. Rin's keys were all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some even had cute patterns such as polka dots or stripes or oranges.

Rin started to answer, "Eh, the usual. House, room, car-"

"You have a car?" Miku was surprised that Rin could drive.

"Well, uh, it's not really a car," Rin flipped through another key, "It's a huge vehicle me and Len use to beat up bad guys." A key went through all the way but didn't turn. "Dang it," Rin muttered in frustration, "You'd think I would know which key it was since all of these look so different!"

"Beating bad guys?" This car thing was sounding even more ridiculous.

"Yeah," Rin replied, "It's called a road roller. I'll show you sometime." A click sounded from the door. "Yes! Got it!" She flung open the door, "Come on in, Miku-nee!"

Miku walked through the entrance and noticed there were still many boxes and bags left unopened, piled near the back wall. "Hey, didn't you say you unpacked everything?" She almost trips over an unnoticed stuffed orange. _Looks like she has a thing for oranges_, Miku thought to herself as she regained her balance.

"Uh, about that," Rin grinned slyly, "I actually didn't. But, it's ok, I don't have much. Just give me a sec and I'll be done unpacking." She walked over to her dresser and picked up the tape and scissors lying on top. After sticking a small piece on the key she used to open the door, she took out a pen and wrote "Dorm" on it. She returned the tape to the dresser and pocketed her keys.

Miku watched as she started to open the boxes in her room with the scissors. "I'll help," She looked around, "Do you have another pair of scissors?"

"No, but here," Rin handed the scissors to Miku, "You open, I'll organize. That'll make things go faster." She picked up the stuffed orange and looked back at Miku, who was starting to take out items from the box, "... Thank you."

"No problem," Miku smiled.

In what seemed like no time, Rin and Miku finished settling Rin into her new room. Unpacking her belongings, Miku found countless orange references. From Rin's orange-shaped alarm clock to orange-printed pajamas, it seemed everything orange was in her possession.

"This is quite nice!" Rin took a minute to admire, "I'm excited to spend the next few years here."

"It looks great, Rin-chan," Miku jumped onto Rin's light blue and pink bed with checkered pillows. Looking up, her heart skipped a beat when she saw the time on the clock, "It's already 12:30?" She sat up immediately.

"What?" Rin checked as well, "No, you're looking at it upside-down. It's six." Miku turned around, realizing Rin was right. Laughing, Rin said, "Hey, for helping me out, I'll buy you dinner! Let's go to the cafeteria!" She grabbed her backpack, unzipped it, and took out an orange and yellow wallet. "I've been wanting to go. It's my first time!"

"Alright," Miku jumped up, "Let's go!"

The two opened the door, with Rin leading the way. On the way to the cafeteria, they were two of many students making their way for dinner. Miku took this time to introduce some VOCALOIDs to Rin.

"The two girls over there are Nekomura Iroha and Yuzuki Yukari from AH-Software," She pointed to them, "And that's Kaai Yuki, one of our youngest VOCALOIDs, also from AH-Soft."

"Who are they?" Rin pointed to a trio of young men.

"YUU, KYO, and WIL. They're from Bplats and are referred together as ZOLA PROJECT, cool, right?" Miku noticed they arrived at the cafeteria, "Here it is!"

"You know, like, every VOCALOID!" Rin's eyes sparkled, "Are you friends with all of them? It wouldn't be hard to imagine!" She stared intensely at everyone Miku mentioned, trying her best to remember their names.

"No," Miku smiled, "I know them about them because we're from the same major, but I haven't had the chance to get to know them very well." It was hectic enough juggling Crypton and regular studying, but Miku wished she had time to even introduce herself to the people she sang with.

The cafeteria was noisy, filled with students hungry for food. In comparison, the lines were quite short thanks to the quick and easy serving. Miku and Rin were out of there in no time with their trays of steaming hot food. Miku carried her chicken cutlet, miso soup, onigiri, and strawberry milk while Rin had spicy curry, salad with clementine slices, and orange juice with pulp. The difficult part was finding a spot to sit.

"Want to go outside?" Miku suggested, "It's still light out, and the breeze is nice. There are also benches. As long as we return the trays, they won't get mad."

"Yeah, good idea," Rin looked left and right, but couldn't see any free spaces other than the floor.

Even outside, there were students here and there, perhaps escaping from the crowd inside. Miku searched around, _Len-kun isn't out here either_.

"Looking for someone?" Rin sat down on the wooden bench beside a marble fountain. She began to work on her dinner, hungry from the couple hours spent organizing her new room.

"No, uh," Miku quickly turned back to Rin and sat next to her, "Just maybe Luka or MEIKO or someone like that." She noticed the orange juice on Rin's tray. "You seem to like oranges, Rin-chan. Why is that?" Miku switched topics, picking up her chopsticks and breaking them apart.

Rin chuckled, "I don't know. It's kind of an obsession. You know the feeling when you like something or someone and you really don't have a reason why?" Miku nodded her head, thinking about her similar craze for negi. "Yeah," Rin smiled, "The more you decide you like it, the more you do. Oranges didn't really taste that different from other fruit at first, but after a while, it easily became my favorite. Especially since I didn't really have any favorite food at the time." She turned to face Miku, "I didn't know you very well, either, but I decided I like you. The more I think that way, the more I do! Miku-nee, just like an orange, I think of you as my best friend! My number one friend!"

Miku looked down at her cutlet, chopsticks in her mouth, "T-thanks. I like you too, Rin-chan. You're an amazing friend."

"I think Len thinks the same thing," Rin grinned.

"E-eh?" Miku had a surprised expression on her face, but Rin didn't see it and continued on.

"There's no way Len could dislike someone like you! He's cold, but he's just a shy jerk. Hang out with him more, and you two will be great friends!" Rin added, "Oh, but not as great as me, ok?"

For the rest of dinner, Miku thought about what Rin said. _So Len only think of me as a friend… A good friend, but nevertheless, a friend_, She sighed, _I guess that isn't surprising. I'm his "older sister", a senpai from the same VOCALOID group, two years older than him. What a silly and short crush I had_. Her chopsticks reached for a cutlet that wasn't there, and they bumped against the empty plastic plate.

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Back at Rin's room, this time with less trouble opening the door, Rin and Miku talked more. About themselves, about life, about family…

"Do you have any siblings, Miku-nee?" Rin asked.

"Not blood-related," Miku responded, "I'm not exactly sure who my parents even are. But I had thought about that long ago, and come to the conclusion that kind of thing doesn't matter. I may have amnesia, or some part of me missing, but the past is the past. Right now, I'm this me. And since nothing from the past has seemed to get to me yet, I assume it's been forgotten. And I'm alright with that." She realized she may have said too much and quickly asked back, "And you, Rin-chan?"

Rin stared at Miku for a moment, "You know," She started, "You're like Len and I. We don't know our parents either. Or if we're siblings. Or anything." She looked at the clock hanging from the wall, "Everything we know about ourselves was told to us by Director-san, who told us something similar to what you said, Miku-nee. We accepted. I mean, we had each other, so it didn't matter what happened before," She turned back to Miku, "You didn't have anyone, how did you handle it? How were you able to come to the same conclusion?"

"That's not true," Miku smiled, "I had MEIKO-nee, KAITO-nii, and Luka-nee, didn't I? I came to that conclusion because I'm happy with my life now. MEIKO-nee and the others think so too. If something from the past were to rip me apart from them, I don't think I'd want that. So I don't go looking for it."

"Yes," Rin laughed, "I agree." Her eyes drifted back onto the clock, which she just realized read "10:47". "Ah!" Miku flinched at Rin's sudden outburst, "It's so late! Miku-nee! I'm so sorry!"

"Oh wow," Miku saw the clock as well, "Time went by fast!"

"There's no way you'll get past the night security!" Rin panicked. It was past curfew, "Uhm, uhm," She looked around, as if physically searching for a solution.

"You're right," Miku didn't think the guards would take "time flowed too quickly" as an excuse. Anyone caught would have to suffer three detentions, "What do I do?" She watched as Rin paced around.

"Hmm," Rin pondered carefully, "We could somehow sneak past them. If we're _extra _careful."

"There's no way that will work," Miku giggled.

"It was just an idea," Rin replied, "But yeah, it probably wouldn't work." She laughed back. Then, the perfect solution came to her. "Miku-nee, let's have a sleepover!" She jumped around eagerly.

"Oh," Miku said, "That's a good idea!" She quickly agreed to it.

"Perfect!" Rin clapped her hands together, "Time to get ready for bed, then!"

"Aw," Miku pouted, "Already?"

"Yeah," Rin grinned guitily, "I'm bad at waking up without enough sleep."

Miku didn't feel sleepy, but she helped Rin as she laid out blankets and pillows on the floor. _I probably just need to lie down and then I'll realize how tired I am. _"Not going to sleep on your new bed?" Miku questioned as Rin placed a second set of blankets and pillows.

"Nah," Rin unrolled the blanket, "I want to sleep with you." She handed Miku a pair of pajamas printed with multicolored cupcakes, "Here."

"Thanks," After putting them on, Miku snuggled into the soft covers, "It's been fun today, Rin-chan."

Rin turned off the lights and walked back over to Miku. Miku rolled over towards Rin, who was getting under covers with her orange-printed pajamas.

"Yes," Rin faced Miku, "It sure was." In the darkness, Miku saw her smile her usual cheerful smile.

"Good night," Miku spoke softly and closed her eyes.

"Good night, Miku-nee," Rin whispered, slowly drifting to sleep.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Rin and Miku were greeting early next morning at school by an angry Len. "You forgot about meeting Director-san, didn't you," It wasn't a question.

"Oops!" Rin exclaimed, "I was hanging out with Miku! I completely forgot!"

Len had guessed that was what happened. "He said to meet him later today instead," He sighed, "So don't forget this time. I'll remind you later in the afternoon." He looked over to Miku.

"Uhm," Miku was caught off guard, "S-sorry, I should've reminded her."

Surprised, Len responded, "Oh, no, you didn't know. Uhm," He looked down and blinked shyly, "Let's do our best in the afternoon."

"Yeah," Miku replied.

Rin elbowed Miku and whispered, "See, I told you he was just a shy jerk."

Before Miku could respond, the three heard a commotion nearby.

"What's going on?" Len looked around for the source.

Rin circled around and saw the director of Crypton in the distance, "Director-san!" She waved to him, but her excited greeting was replaced by confusion when she saw all of the other directors, and a huge crowd of students, were following him. The students were shouting at the directors, holding signs and banners.

Without speaking, Rin, Len, and Miku ran over to see what was going on. Rin almost bumped into a girl with light pinkish-blonde hair, who was also running towards the crowd. "Whoa!" Rin stopped in her tracks, "Sorry!"

"Oh no," The girl waved her hand, "It was my fault."

"President!" Miku recognized the girl. She was IA, the student council president. The last president retired, and although IA was new to the school, she was charming and sweet. She quickly gained popularity and the love of the students. Last year, she easily won the election. "Do you know what's going on?"

"No," IA was concerned, "That's why I'm going to go check." She paused, "It looks like a protest." Leaving the trio, she went to try to catch up with the crowd of students.

"Let's go, too," Len gestured the girls to follow.

The rising volume told them they were getting closer to the possible protest. _But why?_ Miku started to make out the words on the signs they carried, _What are they trying to change?_ "WE'RE MAJORS TOO", "EQUALITY", "ALL MAJORS ARE IMPORTANT", "FAIRNESS FOR ALL". She hesitated to run any further when she realized what it was. _They want the directors to support all majors, not just VOCALOID. This is probably because of the increasing demand for funds that have been repeatedly denied._

Rin and Len signaled to her that they know what was going on also.

When they reached the protest, many other VOCALOIDs had gathered over, including IA. They were greeted with many overlaying comments from the other students. "Please help us!" One girl carrying a heavy sign begged. "We need the money for our major too!" A different student, this time a boy holding nothing, shouted. "They might not help us because it's a bad deal for them," The single comment from an unknown source raised a commotion in the crowd, many who agreed. This tensed the atmosphere.

_Do I have the right to support them?_ Miku thought, sensing the sudden change, _Would it not be selfish of me?_ She saw a hint of bright red in the crowd. _Kaai Yuki_. She was holding a heavy sign as well. _So some VOCALOIDs were in on this as well…_ Miku clenched her fists, she made up her mind. Kneeling down, putting her hands in front of her, she took a deep bow.

"Please!" Her action left the hall breathless, not knowing what she was doing, "Listen to them!"

The directors turned around, recognizing the voice of one of their star VOCALOIDs. They all hesitated when seeing Miku's position. Crypton's director stepped forward.

"Now, now, Miku," He smiled warily, "Don't be like that," He crouched in front of her, "We can't fund every major. We would have to divide it up. What is VOCALOID going to do without all the money? How will we pay for equipment? Think rationally."

Miku pushed herself up, her determined face only two feet from the director's, "We'll do what all the other majors have been struggling through this whole time! Sales, fundraisers, anything! Our music can help out, too! We make a lot from it, where did all that money go?" The director's reaction told Miku exactly the answer, she clenched her teeth, "I think we all agree that is the best solution. Director-san, would you go against the whole student body?"

IA stepped forward, "Hatsune-san, get up," She held out her hand and helped Miku stand, "As a member of the student council, I agree we have been debating this topic for ages." She looked around, meeting the faces of some of the other members. Frowning, she turned back to the directors, "Every debate ended with the agreement of funding all majors in a fair way."

The crowd of students started cheering. Some relieved that the VOCALOIDs were helping. While smiling confidently, they raised their signs again, pushing forward for what they wanted.

In the midst of their excitement, another director stood out. Seeing who it was, IA backed away, looking slightly scared. "Oh no," She whispered, "I didn't realize he was there, too." Miku opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but a voice stopped her.

"That was a nice speech from both IA and Miku", The director sighed, "But I thought since they were androids, they wouldn't go against what we said to them."

The hallway became dead silent, all staring at the single director. The students froze in position, unable to understand what their protest had lead to. Even the other directors looked at him, as if some dark secret had been spilled.

"Androids?" Miku looked horrified, breaking the tense silence. _He can't be talking about us, right?_

* * *

_Sorry I didn't update! I was working on "Childish War" and "Snowflake", both of which I hope to release a chapter soon!  
__More SEEMINGLY anti-MiLen, but all of this is just prep. =w=_

_If you spot any mistakes, feel free to tell me in any way, shape, or form. One eye isn't enough to catch them all!  
__[I would run Grammar Check but who knows how much I'll have to hit "Ignore" for all the names. OTL]_

* * *

_____Glossary  
__-chan: honorific often used between friends, usually girls  
__-kun: honorific often used between friends, usually boys  
__-nee: honorific meaning "Older Sister", not always blood-related  
__-nii: honorific meaning "Older Brother", not always blood-related  
__-san: honorific used to give respect to the addressed person  
__-senpai: honorific used for upperclassmen  
__chicken cutlet: breaded and fried chicken cut into slices  
__curry: a blend of spices; in this case, it's rice with curry sauce and vegetables  
__miso soup: traditional Japanese soup consisting of miso (fermented soybean) and stock  
__negi: welsh onion/leek, Miku's character item  
__onigiri: rice ball  
__tangerine: a shade of orange; also a citrus fruit  
__zestful: cheerful, dynamic, energetic; also a pun on "zest", the outer layer of an orange, lemon, or other citrus fruit_


End file.
